Surrey hospital benefits from mobile MRI

SURREY, BC – A $3.3-million mobile magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) unit has arrived at Surrey Memorial Hospital, ensuring patients have uninterrupted access to vital diagnostic services while work continues on two new advanced MRI scanners for the imaging department.

The new MRI is inside a 15-metre trailer located behind the Critical Care Tower at the north end of the hospital campus. A new space will connect the mobile MRI unit to Surrey Memorial Hospital, providing protection from the elements while staff transfer patients between the hospital and the trailer.

The mobile MRI unit is expected to begin seeing patients in late July, once construction and necessary testing and permitting is complete.

The GE Signa Voyager 1.5T MRI System accommodates children and adults, is quieter than older machines, produces sharper images and reduces scan times.

“Ensuring continuity of care during hospital construction requires careful planning and creative solutions like the new mobile MRI unit,” says Dr. Lynn Stevenson, interim president and CEO, Fraser Health. “Currently, more than 10,000 MRI scans are done annually at Surrey Memorial Hospital, so the mobile unit is necessary to ensure residents of Surrey and neighbouring communities continue to receive the imaging they need while we upgrade for today and the future.”

“Access to timely diagnostics and treatment is a key pillar of our healthcare system,” says Josie Osborne, minister of health. “This new mobile MRI Unit will ensure that people in Surrey have uninterrupted access to life-saving diagnostic services while work on two new state of the art MRI Scanners occurs.”

Advanced MRI can help detect abnormalities of the brain and spine, as well as tumours, cysts and soft-tissue injuries in other parts of the body. MRI is used to detect cancers in the breast, brain, abdomen, prostate and lymph nodes, as well as cardiac and neurological diseases.

MRI uses strong magnetic fields to generate three-dimensional pictures of the organs, bones and tissue inside the human body. Early diagnosis of abnormalities can lead to earlier treatment and better outcomes.

The MRI project is part of the 30 prioritized actions announced in June 2023 aimed at transforming health services at Surrey Memorial Hospital. To date, 19 of those actions have been completed, with an additional 11 currently in progress.

Source: Carrie Stefanson, senior consultant, Public Affairs, Fraser Health.